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Wisconsin's Weed BattleRepublican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is giving Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' plan to legalize medical marijuana just a 10 percent chance of winning approval in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Vos said at a WisPolitics.com luncheon Thursday that Evers' plan goes too far because it would also decriminalize possession of recreational marijuana. Vos says he thought he could get a majority of Assembly Republicans to support a narrow legalization of medical marijuana. Evers plans to introduce the proposal as part of the state budget next week. Vos says it will be removed from the budget.
Posted Feb 22, 2019, 5:51 AM by Ryan Quinn

Cities and Vilages Rely Heavily On Property TaxesCities and villages in Wisconsin rely more heavily on property taxes than any other state in the Midwest, and to a greater degree than most states nationally, according to a new report by the nonpartisan, independent Wisconsin Policy Forum. In 2015, Wisconsin municipalities received 42.2% of their revenues from the property tax, but only 1.6% from sales and income taxes combined, WPF noted. Nationally, on average, municipalities got 23.3% of their revenues from the property tax with an additional 21.3% from sales and income taxes.
Posted Feb 22, 2019, 5:50 AM by Ryan Quinn

Barron County Judge Accused Of BiasA Wisconsin appeals court has ruled a Barron County judge created the appearance of bias by accepting a Facebook friend request from a woman with a custody case before him. According to court documents, Barron County Circuit Judge Michael Bitney accepted a 2017 friend request from Angela Carroll after hearing her request to modify her son's custody arrangement. Carroll liked 18 of Bitney's posts and commented on two of them before he resolved the case in her favor. The Facebook relationship wasn't disclosed during the case. On Wednesday, the 3rd District Court of Appeals reversed Bitney's decision, saying a reasonable person would question the judge's ability to decide the case fairly.
Posted Feb 22, 2019, 5:49 AM by Ryan Quinn

Primary ResultsTuesday's primary election for the open at-large seat on the Barron City Council leaves the top two finishers running against each other for the Spring election in April. Paul Solie, with 171 votes, and Izaak Mohamed with 125 votes will face off on April 2nd. Faisal Ahmed was the third candidate in yesterdays race and he received 72 votes.
Posted Feb 21, 2019, 6:09 AM by Ryan Quinn

The Clean Up BeginsSeveral inches of snow fell across the region yesterday, including 11 inches in the Dallas area. Today, road crews and private plows will be doing clean-up work on roads, driveways and parking lots. Give those plows plenty of room to operate and give yourself extra time today to get to your destination. You can check the latest road conditions online at 511wi.gov or call 5-1-1.
Posted Feb 21, 2019, 6:08 AM by Ryan Quinn

Community NewsThrough February The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage and urgently needs blood and platelet donors to give now to avoid delays in lifesaving medical care for patients. Volunteer blood drive hosts are also critically needed to prevent the shortage from worsening this winter. Blood donors of all blood types, especially type O, and platelet donors are urged to make an appointment to donate at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).February 9th-10th Saturday-SundayThe Rice Lake Cedar Mall will host the Barron County Railroad Club’s Annual Railroad Show on Saturday and Sunday. Huge displays of trains and other railroad collectibles. The event is free and everyone ...
Posted Feb 9, 2019, 8:24 AM by Adam Hutton